Chand, India’s first openly gay athlete, has slammed Satapathy, popularly known as 'Papu Pom Pom', for the poster of his upcoming movie “Mr Kanhaiya” which shows seven women tied to leashes held by the actor.
The poster infuriated Chand, who feels the poster shows Satapathy controlling the women like he would a pet dog.
In a Facebook post, Chand blasted the actor for disrespecting women.
“A look at the poster makes it clear it is an insult to women. It shows some women being held with a number of leashes by Papubhai (Satapathy). It seems Papubhai thinks of himself as Lord Krishna and holding the reins like the horses in the Mahabharata war. This is a severe injustice to women,” Chand wrote.
Satapathy seemed unperturbed by Chand's criticism. Stating that the poster in question is not the movie’s official one, the actor shot back by making personal remarks about the athlete’s recently revealed same-sex relationship.
“She is a famous sprinter, and she should first handle her own controversy. We know how much she respects women,” Satapathy was quoted as saying by News18’s web portal. “If women marry women, then who will men marry? This is not Odisha’s culture.”
Chand is one of the first Indian athletes to admit being in a same-sex relationship. She has previously said that her family is not fully supportive of her lifestyle, but she hopes to find acceptance soon.
Chand won the 100m title at the Fifth Indian Grand Prix in Patiala last week and the country's first gold medal at the World University Games last month, winning widespread praise from political leaders, Bollywood stars and across social media.